


The Honeysuckle Cafe

by Adularia



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Cat, Chinese Li Hua cat, Coworkers - Freeform, Fighting, Lencest, M/M, Starmine's classmates are also other vocaloid modules or even cafe coworkers, some of the Starmine's coworkers are other vocaloid modules, tagging as I go along sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24687331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adularia/pseuds/Adularia
Summary: Starmine lives in the city, working in a cafe part-time while studying in college. Sleep, school, work, study, repeat. A routine Starmine has used for nearly every day of his life since moving. He has a peaceful, stable life, uninterrupted until exams come along every so often. Well, what about when a boy covered in ripped clothing comes by the cafe?
Relationships: Kagamine Len/Kagamine Len, Starmine/Strange Dark
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. The taste of limes and lemons

The clock struck 6, marking the end of the day. Slowly, the customers filed out, leaving the employees to clean up the once-busy cafe. Crumbs littered the floor. Groaning, the workers began to sweep and mop. Bit by bit it got cleaner. And cleaner. And cleaner. Scrubbed to the point it shined, and the staff left to go to their families, homes, friends.

The clock read 6:32, and Mine grabbed his bag, muttering to himself. How could he be this late? His poor Dahz, left home alone for so long! Rest assured, his cat would get his undivided attention when he returned home. Hurrying outside, Mine locked the doors and windows, and the cafe sighed in relief, finally able to rest. Now, the train station. He had just enough money for a ticket, then he could see his-

He stopped. Another boy stood a ways away from him, eyes monotone as the breeze blew through his hair. Black shorts, yellow tie. Uncombed blonde hair, rips everywhere on his clothes. Torn white shirt, no shoes. Piercing green eyes. _Where has this guy been?_

Mine cleared his throat. “Who are you? Do you need help?”

No reply.

He tried again. “What’s your name?”

Still nothing. Frustrated, he covered his face. How could he get the boy to respond?

He pulled his hand away. “Hey-” Mine started, but stopped quickly. The boy was gone? _Where could he have gone?_ Mine only had his hand over his face for a few seconds…

Mine glanced around, looking for the small blonde. There wasn’t a strand of yellow hair besides his in sight. Groaning, he gave up. It was nearly 6:40, and the nearest station was almost twenty minutes away. Even then, he had missed the train, so that would be at least ten minutes, and then that’d be another THIRTY minutes until it was his stop, and after that there were ten more minutes of walking! Mine wouldn’t be home until nearly eight o’clock!

He sighed. Dahz. Dahz, he missed Dahz. She was probably fine alone, but he missed her. Dahz was all he had here in the quaint city. Of course, Mine always had his mom, but she lived so far away now...Even so, he liked it here. Each street had a charm; not quite Japanese in style, but not too distant from the traditional roots. Flowers everywhere, in baskets and beside trees. There weren’t many specks of gray. Many stray cats roamed freely, sometimes with fish left on windowsills to feed them. Some were friends with Dahz, Mine recognized them. Dahz…

Mine shook his head, trying to ignore the scenery. _Focus! You need to get home, you got that?_ Hurriedly, he strode through the town. Station, station, he needed to get to the station. Faster, faster! Couldn’t his legs go any faster? He needed to get home, feed his cat, and then the boy. That boy. Something about him, off. Something seemed off. Mine couldn’t place it, but something told him. His gut. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.

Time passed. Mine arrived at and left the station, the train car peaceful and smooth, and not too busy either. Turning on his phone and headphones, Mine immediately started listening to his piano playlist. It was his favorite way to calm down or daydream, a nice touch of background music to pass more time. Soon enough, he was at his own stop, and rushed home, eager to see Dahz.

 _Dahz. The boy. Mom. Dahz. The boy. Dahz. Dahz. The boy. The boy. The boy, the boy, the boy, the boy._ Why was the young blonde with striking green eyes suddenly invading his thoughts now? Mine grabbed his keys, the time reading 7:47. _The boy._ Mine put his keys in the handle. _His hair._ He turned the key, unlocking the door. _Those eyes._ Mine groaned, why couldn’t stop thinking about that kid??

“Dahz! I’m home!” Mine called out into the dark house. He heard a mewl in reply, then the patterings of steps on the floor. Mine dropped his bags in the living room, locking the door. In the kitchen sat the Chinese Li Hua cat, ambling towards her food bowl. Mine refilled her water bowl. He sat down next to her, not disturbing her meal but not wanting to be far away. As Mine watched Dahz eat, his mind wandered off.

_What was up with that boy? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him around the cafe before. But what happened to him? His clothes were torn and he seemed-no, was unresponsive. Was he hurt? Needed food? Agh, why didn’t he answer? If he’s mute that’s fine, but a signal, anything would’ve been helpful…_

Dahz rubbed her head against Mine’s leg. Abandoning his thoughts, he picked her up and scratched her head.

“Did you miss me?” He asked playfully as she settled into his lap.

“Merrow,” Dahz answered. Mine laughed, petting her head.

“You know Dahz, today I met this boy,” Mine said. “Well, met is a bit of a stretch. It’s more like I saw him. I tried to talk to him, but he didn’t say or do anything. Then, when I covered my eyes, he left! I was going to look for him, but I rushed home to take care of you…” Mine trailed off, thinking.

“I hope he’s alright. Do you think he’s alright?” he wondered aloud. Dahz purred in response.

“He didn’t look okay. I hope he has a safe place to stay at...what if he’s being abused? I’ll..try to ask him if I see him again,” Mine said, looking to the ceiling. “Maybe...maybe I’ll see him once more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll improve the summary of the work soon lol  
> Also yeah chapter one is boring but I was just setting up the story and all that jazz


	2. After-hours academy account

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an embarrassing day at school, Mine runs off to hopefully find the boy from yesterday.

Yesterday had ended like all the others. Mine made a bowl of instant ramen, studied, showered, and went to bed. The usual. Only yesterday evening had been different.

In his dreams, those eyes returned. Sharp, focused yet disoriented. Mine found himself trying to move closer, to see if he could learn anything. But as he got closer, the more they faded. Until finally, they popped and he woke up, almost screaming out of shock. Confused. He couldn’t remember. Was it eyes or water? Green or blue?

Frustrated, he started his day. A small mug of coffee, toast, an apple, an orange. Dahz rubbed her head against Mine’s leg, soothing his irritations. Dahz. One of the calming presences in his life, one he loved so much.

“Thanks girl,” Mine murmured, leaning down to scratch her head as his coffee brewed. He received a mew before she strolled away. Frowning again, he turned back to the coffee. As soon as it was done, he grabbed it, sitting down at the table with the rest of his breakfast. He ate quickly. Annoyance, disappointment. That’s all he felt in the moment. Why couldn’t he just remember…

The clock read 6:12 a.m. Mine didn’t have any classes until 9, which left nearly three hours for him to do whatever he wished. _I can look for him!_

_No! Be more realistic. I may never see him again. Besides, I didn’t finish that assignment for music! But...fine. Look for him after classes today! No shifts today either. But the dream…_

Mine banged his fist on the table. _That darn dream. Concentrate, Starmine. You can remember if you just try._

Several minutes later, and a now more vexed Mine unhappily ate an apple.

_Maybe I should just do the schoolwork…_

\-----

A bored Starmine sat in class, listening to the lecture. The teacher droned on and on, and Mine found himself caring less and less. He jots down a note. Then another. A third, now a fourth. Mine drops his pencil, trying to stay awake. Oh, what’s the use? He’ll never know, anyway.

Mine gazes at the window, watching as a pair of birds communicate and play together. _It looks like fun. Not having to work or study, what would that life be like?_ Mine leans against his hand, weary from the teacher’s voice going on and on and on. _Maybe in my next life I can be a bird. Soar high and free across the sky, find a mate, friends, go looking for worms every morning. Ah, but I’d have to account for airplanes though…_

“Ahem,” a voice said, loud enough for everyone to hear. Mine snapped back to reality. “Would anyone care to answer?”

The professor glared in Mine’s direction, and even he was subtler than the stares from Mine’s classmates. The boy’s green eyes appeared, observing Mine along with everyone else.

“Starmine, what about you?” he asked coldly. “You seem to have fun looking at the birds, why don’t you have fun looking at the board?” Mine gulped. He glanced down at his notes. Then back at the board. Then his notes. Then the board.

“Mr. Starmine, if you cannot answer you’re free to say so.”

Mine’s nerves started screaming. His classmates kept staring. The academician kept waiting. Intense green flooded his mind.

The professor sighed. “Faker, are you able to answer?”

The girl beside Mine, Faker, nodded. She began to explain the solution with ease, making Mine feel like an idiot. If only he had just paid attention..

The green was gone by the end of class. Everyone packed up, some took their time as others bolted for a different lecture. Mine was about to leave when he heard:

“Mr. Starmine, please come here for a minute.”

_Oh boy, I definitely screwed up now._

Mine trudged to the professor’s desk, not even bothering to hide his worry.

“Y-You wanted to see me?” Mine stuttered.

“Yes, I did,” Mine’s professor said. “Would you care to explain why you weren’t listening?”

“S-Sir, I don’t have any excuses,” Mine hesitated. “I know I got distracted today, it won’t happen again. I’ve just been having some..issues..lately, and I let it fall into class. I’m sorry. I’ll control myself more.”

His professor smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. Just don’t let it slip into class and there won’t be any problems, okay?”

“I understand, sir,” Mine answered. “Have a good day.” Mine walked off as the teacher began to help another student. Mine studied the ceiling, tired.

_Just another few hours...then it’s time to find him._

\-----

Mine hung around the cafe, even though it was 5:17 and going to close in less than an hour. Annoyance and aggravation were stuck in the back of his mind. _The boy. He was here yesterday, why isn’t he here today?_ Mine turned around for the thousandth time. _He didn’t seem like the type to have somewhere to go...but then again, how would I know? I saw him once before he vanished into thin air._

Mine had no idea where the boy could be. No idea at all. And yet... _Think, Mine, think. He didn’t have any pockets, so no money. Which means no train. He might have had a bike though..but I doubt it. So he must’ve walked. And you can’t get too far by walking…_

A rustle. Mine snapped his head towards an alleyway. Silence, aside from the cafe customers.

_Concentrate. It might be him._

_But it could be anything else._

Mine heard nothing besides the cafe.

Oh, why couldn’t they shut up just this once?

A busted soda can rolled onto the street. Mine turned, focused on the alley. And then he saw him.

The messy, blonde hair. The fierce, perceptive green eyes. The ripped clothing. Shoeless.

It was _him._

He was running, running on the cold street with bare feet. He saw Mine and stopped immediately. Mine froze, shocked. Shocked that he was right there, in front of him, still there! Shocked that the boy stopped. Shocked that the boy was right there, that Mine wasn’t crazy, that-

The blonde began to run again. Mine noticed he was running in the direction of another back alley.

Like _hell_ Mine was letting him slip away.

Mine began to sprint towards the boy, faster than he had ever run in his life. The boy was fast, amazingly fast, even for Mine to admit; he’d seen many sprinters during high school, but only a handful compared to this teen. Not fast enough to outrun Mine, though.

However, he did nearly lose Mine at a turn.

Finally, Mine caught up to him in another alley, panting heavily. Far from the cafe, they were, both exhausted. Mine took a closer look while catching his breath.

The boy was smaller than he appeared. He looked underfed, too. Bags under his eyes. Thin, with cuts and scars and bruises. He looked horrible.

Mine reached out a hand, still panting. The boy glared, clearly cross.

“H-hi,” Mine puffed, still trying to regain his energy. “I-I’m...M-Mine...yesterday w-we saw each o-ot-other a-and you lo-look like y-you n-need hel-help?”

The boy kept scowling.

Mine stood upright. “L-Look, I only want t-to help. Do you need food, w-water? A place to stay?”

“I need you to go,” he spat. “I don’t need help.”

“Oh, but you look like you do,” Mine replied. “Your appearance says otherwise.”

“Look, you just need to go, alright?!” the boy yelled, even angrier. “You don’t need to do anything!” His voice dropped so low so fast that Mine could barely catch what he said.

_“You don’t need to get hurt because of me.”_

Now it was Mine’s turn to frown. “What do you mean, I don’t need to get hurt because of-”

Mine stopped as the boy slammed a hand down on his mouth.

“The kid went this way! Don’t lose him!”

“Damn,” Mine heard the teen mutter. He was pulled into a corner with the small blonde. Hiding. How did they go from running to hiding so quickly? Mine was having a hard time trying to process everything.

“Be. Quiet.” the boy growled softly. Worry seeped into his voice. Subtle, but there.

“You were running...from them?” Mine whispered, fright clear as day in his eyes.

“What part about be quiet do you not understand?!” the boy whisper-yelled, irritated and anxious.

Silence. Silence aside from their breaths, them breathing deeply, trying to exhale the fear. Their heartbeats, trying to pound away their unease, and failing. Mine heard some steps, his terror growing.

They remained speechless, frozen to their spots. Mine wordlessly prayed that they would make it out alive and (hopefully) mostly unharmed. Then he heard the coldest voice he’d ever heard in his life above him.

Chuckling wickedly, he snarled. “Found you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, let's pretend I'm not uploading this at 11:50 at night-
> 
> also, sorry there are so many spaces. There weren't as many in the google doc-
> 
> Editing this whole thing took over 20 minutes and wow I need sleep


	3. The blond's reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mine found the boy, but what will he do about the man?

Terror ripped through Mine’s eyes. His head. His body. In that moment he wished he was back home, cooking while Dahz played with a ball of yarn. His nerves were shrieking, wailing, crying out for help and safety. Motionless, Mine was motionless. He knew he didn’t have any weapons on him. But what about the boy? Oh _god_ , what about the boy? Mine hadn’t considered his feelings at all! He had been running from these men for longer and had only gained another pursuer in the form of Mine..Guilt drenched Mine rapidly as more men emerged in front of them. There were four men in total, big, strong-looking men. Brutal amusement glittered in their eyes. No wonder the boy had been charging away from them. 

Another one of the men laughed. “You’ll be coming with us, tiny blonde.” 

“What about the other kid?” a guy near the back asked.

“We’ll take him too,” the big man above Mine and the boy affirmed. “A bonus, another win for us. We can get extra from him too..” 

Mine gulped. He knew he didn’t want to become a slave, or...punching bag for these men. Or anything else….

_What am I supposed to do in a situation like this, Dad?_

Mine turned to the small blonde next to him. The horror and fury in his eyes frightened Mine more than he expected. But Mine realized that the teen needed and deserved the help. Mine had to do something. Anything. Anything anything anything. Mine glanced back at the men. He thought for a split second, and acted.

_Brace yourself. Hands behind you, stronger leg, swing up, and…_

With as much force as he could muster, Mine swung his leg up and knocked the cruel man in the groin.

The man fell to the ground screaming in agony, scaring Mine and the boy while angering the man’s pals. Two of them stomped over. One grabbed Mine by the shirt and lifted him up. He wore a bandana as the other-a guy wearing no shirt-tried to pick up the boy. 

“You’re going to freaking PAY for what you did to him!” Bandana yelled. “Don’t even attempt that crap with the rest of us!” 

Mine kicked him in the balls, too. 

Two men down, two left to go. 

Mine turned to the small blonde. “I know this has gotta be harder on you, but try to kick them! Or punch them! Anywhere!” he called out. 

The compact kid stopped for a second, imitating Mine’s earlier stance. With the fury of a woman scorned, he drove his feet with full force into Shirtless. Bandana and Big Leader Guy were still on the floor, crying. The boy looked to Mine. 

His face was marked with anger, but his eyes reflected appreciation. 

Mine smiled in return. And suddenly, a hand punched his face. 

Mine slammed against the wall, feeling pain everywhere at once. Arms, legs, what’s the difference? Everything hurt, and a _lot_ . Mine groaned as he fell to the floor. He stumbled, trying to get up. _AGhhhHHHH damn it! It all hurts so freaking much!_ Without warning, he felt a hand grab his arm. It was the small blonde.

He helped Mine get up. “If we work together, we might be able to escape..” he mumbled, clearly processing their circumstances. Mine nodded in agreement.

“Neither of you are escaping me!” the last man cracked his knuckles. Mine looked around, trying to spot a potential weapon. The boy tugged at Mine’s shirt. He leaned close to Mine’s ear. Oh gosh, was he standing on his toes just for this.

“I see something. Hold him off for one minute, will you?” he whispered. Then, he dashed off.

Choker-the last guy-tried to chase after the teen but Mine lunged at him. He didn’t pin the guy down or anything, but he was able to knock him down for a second. Choker tried to kick Mine off him, but Mine started jumping on the giant man’s body, trying to buy the boy enough time to come back. A minute passed, and nothing. The men were starting to recover too, this was bad. So very, very bad. 

One of the men-Shirtless- stood up, his attention on Mine, who was still stomping and jumping on Choker as best he could. Suddenly, there was a big CRASH and Shirtless fell to the ground, eyes hazy. 

The boy had returned with a bat, and looked ready to kick some ass.

Mine cheered him on in his head and tried to get up. The small blond kept smashing the men in the head, going from Shirtless to Choker, then Bandana and the Leader. Each screamed and shrieked in various amounts of pains, enough to make Mine scared of the boy as well. When the blond walked over to him, Mine half-expected him to hammer Mine in the head but was shocked when he outstretched a hand instead. 

“Let’s get out of here,” he murmured, glancing back at the men. “Quickly. Now. Before they wake up.”

Mine nodded and took his hand. He was pulled up, and he began to hobble out of there. It took a few minutes, but with his help Mine was able to run, and so they ran. 

In silence. Farther and farther for a good fifteen minutes. Silence. Mine had never ran through such a bulky peace. He kept glimpsing behind him, but the pack of men was never behind them. Mine always sighed in temporary relief when the area behind them was empty. 

They rounded a corner. Mine knew exactly where they were. 

“Keep going,” he whispered to the boy. The blond turned his attention to Mine, confused. “Up ahead, there’s a train station. We can go to my place tonight. Only if you’re okay with that though.”

The boy thought for a sec, but nodded. They ran and ran and ran, until they reached the station. Tickets were bought, a train was boarded, and the silence continued. Thickened, continued silence. 

It made both of the blonds very uncomfortable. 

The first twenty minutes of the train ride were very, very uneasy and soundless. Mine enjoyed the quiet, with the only sounds being the whir and burr of the train engine. But the tension wasn’t as satisfying. 

Mine cleared his throat. “Y-You’re sure that you want to stay at my place?” he stammered. “I would understand if you don’t want to, but I can’t understand you actually doing it..”

More silence. 

Not that Mine could blame him.

Because really, the boy was next to a stranger. A stranger who chased him, then fought for him, got hurt because of both of them, and was taking him to his house. Mine didn’t know how he would react to that either. 

The blond shifted slightly. His stone-faced expression gave away no clues to any possible answer. 

Mine thought that he shouldn’t try to get a reply. But that was okay. Everything was okay. They were safe, even if just for now. The blond shouldn’t be forced to respond, either. That was okay, too. Both had made it through a very trying day. 

The train arrived at Mine’s stop a few minutes later. They walked. In silence. Just like how they sat in silence. Ran in silence. Existed together, in silence. Silence followed them a lot, Mine noticed.

They reached his house after a little bit of walking. Mine grabbed his keys and wrenched the door open nervously, scaring the blond slightly. Even so, he walked in, much to Mine’s relief. 

“Excuse me for intruding,” the blond said, taking off his shoes, or rather, what was left of them. He studied the room as Mine closed and locked the door. Mine took off his shoes before looking at the boy anxiously. He noticed that the blond was just staring. Staring at the walls, the floor, the decor. Mine grew worried. Was he still scared that the men would come back? Was he expecting something else? Was he judging him? Was he-

“It’s….really neat,” he commented. 

Neat?

“N-Neat?” Mine mustered. It was the only word, the only phrase he could think of. 

The blond nodded. “Quite, yeah,” he answered. He didn’t turn his head at all. “...Were you expecting something else?” 

There’s no way this boy can read minds, right?

“O-Oh, uh, no?” Mine stammered, as if he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting either. “I-I mean, I wasn’t expecting you to say that it was _neat_ , considering that I don’t really make a big effort to clean up…” The boy began to walk away from him. Mine reached his hand out, unconsciously, some random instinct taking over control of his body. 

“I can show you to the bath and run it for you if you want!” he called out. The blond stopped in his tracks, finally turning towards him. “I-I can also wash your clothes for you! But only if you want me to.” Mine observed the boy’s movements, desperately looking for an answer. The blond stared at him stilly, stone-faced. 

Slowly, he nodded his head. “I would appreciate both.”

Mine sighed internally. “Great. Let me show you to the bath, and then I can get you something that you can wear for the night.” The boy nodded again in acknowledgment, and they climbed up the stairs. Silently, of course. With less but different worry this time. 

The boy waited in the bathroom, listening to the water fill up the tub while Mine grabbed some sweatpants, boxers, and an oversized gray sweater from his room. He gave them to the boy before leaving him to do his business privately. He strode swiftly down the stairs, but stopped and leaned against the wall as soon as he reached the end. Mine had just barely begun processing what was happening.

He found the boy.

The boy was running away from potential death. 

He chased the boy without realizing.

He fought next to the boy.

The boy had come home with him.

The boy had _come home with him._

The boy was _taking a bath. In Mine’s house._

The boy was _trusting Mine._

  
Even if only for a night, that was.

Mine sighed, relief and worry and exhaustion and more relief flowing through him, settling into his blood, his bones, his body. He sunk to the floor, his head in his hands, wondering how it all came to this. He didn’t know whether to interpret the current situation as bad or good...but it sure was something, at least.

A fluffy head rubbed against Mine’s legs, causing the blond to shudder in surprise. Good _god,_ he had completely forgotten that Dahz existed. He had been so focused on the boy he had barely noticed her…

“Hey girl,” Mine murmured, stroking her head. She nuzzled into his touch, purring softly. “Sorry, I forgot you were here. Don’t worry, I’ll still feed you and clean out your litter box and give you all the love you want. But can you believe-” Mine gulped “-that the boy is here?”

Dahz meowed curiously. 

“I know! He’s here, he’s actually here!” Mine continued. “I found him, but then I was an idiot and chased him, he was being chased by these gross older men screwthembytheway, we saved each other, and now he’s here! I found him!” Mine paused, trying to catch his breath. He was speaking so quickly he could hardly breathe. “He’s here...he’s…...he’s actually here…..with me.” The words sunk in. 

“Ohmygod he’sactuallyherewithmeinmyhouse ohmygodohmygodohmygod,” Mine gasped. He buried his head in his arms. “I...I just...wow. I can still hardly believe it. What happened today and what’s happening now.” 

“I’m done,” a voice says out of nowhere. Mine shrieked and fell to the side, his arms just scarcely catching him. He startles everyone; Dahz jumps away and a mixture of worry, confusion, and fear appears on the boy’s face. Mine took a minute to find his breath, while the boy used that minute to make sure they weren’t going to die. 

“Thank you for the bath…” the boy began, trailing off for a second. “.....Are you okay?”

“Yeah!” Mine replies too fast. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I’m still just-” he shrugs goofily. “-processing what’s going on.” Dear lord, Mine just kept messing up today. Was he ever going to do something right? 

The boy shifted slightly. “I’ve got my clothes, if the laundry offer is still open…” he looked away, his expression turning stone-faced for, what, the fourth time? Mine nodded.

“Yeah, just hand them to me,” Mine said. “Don’t worry about them for now.” Mine stumbled over himself trying to get up. Eventually though, he managed to stand up like a proper human being who didn’t have very obvious anxiety, and took the boy’s clothing to put it in the washing machine. Both machines for the laundry were upstairs, which was convenient for Mine because it meant he could recover a speck of dignity, if he still had any left. 

Mine wasn’t shocked when he didn’t feel any less clumsy or stupid or weird after starting the wash. 

He moseyed down the stairs, hoping that maybe the boy could forget everything that just happened in the blink of an eye. Of course, the boy didn’t do that, but he was at least distracted. 

Mine froze in his tracks. The boy was gazing at Dahz, kneeling down to meet her. He had a hand outstretched, gently, as if he was going to commit a crime by being even faintly rough. 

Even if it was just with his cat, Mine appreciated that. This. What could it be called again? Ah, right. 

Attentiveness, compassion, respect.

Mine smiled. He liked this. 

He cleared his throat, shocking the boy. The blond turned to him, not moving otherwise. “Um, I was wondering if you’re hungry? I...don’t have much, but I can try to make something,” Mine hesitated. 

The blond nodded. “Yes, please,” he answered, rapidly turning his attention back to the cat. 

Mine smiled again. He sauntered to the kitchen, pulling out a few things from his refrigerator. “I have enough to make some sandwiches...is that okay?” 

“Mhm.”

Mine whipped the sandwiches together within a few minutes. He prepared some crackers to add to their meal, and set it all on the small table. The boy was surprised, but still sat down to eat with Mine. Even if he had taken a few minutes, doubt and minimal trust warring in his mind. They clapped their hands together, bowing their heads slightly. 

“Thank you for the meal,” both said at once, but the boy looked up at Mine. Mine didn’t know what to say or what the blond wanted. 

“I-It’s St-Starmine” Mine spluttered out. He mentally slapped himself before…

“..Thank you for the meal, Starmine.”

Mine grinned. “You’re welcome…?” he waited. 

The boy stared tentatively for a few moments.

“D-Dark,” he whispered. “I-It’s Dark.” 

Mine smiled again.

“Well then,” he beamed. “You’re welcome, Dark. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Dark blushed slightly. “Same to you,” he replied as the two began to eat together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for being gone for so long but I'm back!! I'll try my best to stick with my weekly schedule from now on...  
> And yes the ending for the last chapter and this chapter are crap-


End file.
